Absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants, incontinence garments, swim undergarments, and the like conventionally include a liquid permeable body-facing liner, a liquid impermeable outer cover, and an absorbent core. The absorbent core is typically located in between the outer cover and the liner for taking in and retaining liquids (e.g., urine) exuded by the wearer.
Some of these absorbent articles contain various elastic materials to permit some expansion of the article when necessary to provide a better fit on the wearer. The elastic members are also designed to contract when being worn in order to provide the article with form-fitting properties at least in some areas.
For instance, some disposable diapers made in the past have included elastic fastener tabs that are typically joined to the rear portion of the article and are configured to releasably attach to the front of the article, partially encircling a user's waist when being worn. In other configurations, diapers have also been constructed containing an elastic waistband that also partially encircles the waist of a user.
The amount of stretch and elasticity present in an absorbent article in the transverse direction can have a significant impact upon the perceived comfort and fit of the garment. For example, if the elastic portions of the article only elongate when relatively high forces are exerted on the article, consumers may perceive that the product will not fit correctly and may not provide room for any movement without irritation from the product. If the article, on the other hand, stretches under relatively low amounts of force, consumers may perceive that the product fit will degrade during wear and may result in leakage.
The above problems may become exacerbated in some applications when the stretch properties of the garment are irregular or non-uniform. For instance, products having elastic fasteners and non-elastic waistbands or having elastic waistbands with non-elastic fasteners can, under some circumstances, feel uncomfortable to a consumer. Specifically, these products may feel under some circumstances to have too much stretch or too little stretch.
In view of the above, a need currently exists for an improved absorbent article that is perceived by consumers to have the correct amount of stretch around the entire waist of the user. A need also exists for an absorbent article that has uniform stretch properties in the transverse direction for providing a better and more comfortable fit.
In the past, efforts have been undertaken to produce totally stretchable, form-fitting pant-like absorbent garments. For example, a stretchable absorbent garment is disclosed in PCT International Publication No. WO 02/34185 to Morman, et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. In the above reference, a pant-like absorbent garment is disclosed having a stretchable outer cover and a non-stretchable bodyside liner. In one embodiment, the outer cover is stretchable in the transverse direction. The non-stretchable bodyside liner is attached to a pair of highly stretchable side panels. The total elongation of the side panels in centimeters in a transverse direction is roughly equal to the elongation of the outer cover in centimeters in the transverse direction. Further, the side panels have a percentage transverse stretch equal to at least one-half of a percentage transverse stretch of the outer cover times the width of the outer cover divided by a total width of the side panels. In this manner, the outer cover may stretch freely without inhibiting the non-stretchable bodyside liner.
Although the above patent application has provided great advancements in the art, the present invention is directed to further improvements in absorbent articles having controlled transverse stretch properties, especially controlled properties along the waist region of the article.